Put your video making skills to work

I don't want to false advertise; this opportunity won't sound glamorous to a lot of people, but if you like making YouTube clips, know something about healthy eating, and like the idea of a contest with cash prizes, this might be for you. The USDA is sponsoring a contest called MyPlate Fruits and Veggies Video Challenge. They have three video categories with first prizes in each category of $1,500 with additional $1,000 dollar second place awards and $500 People's Choice awards. The winning videos will showcase how you're economically adding fruits and vegetables to your daily diet. Hum, I wonder if you could win first place and people's choice for a whopping $2,000 dollars? Probably not, but you could always ask. Right now the odds of winning a prize look pretty good. For example, the Tips for Kids category only has three videos after three weeks of submissions.

The contest started September 26th, but entries will be accepted through November 15th. Still, I'd hurry and get your entries in so your friends, family, and strangers have time to vote for your video. Public voting is taking place simultaneously with the submission time period. So, if you wait until November 15th to enter your video you won't have much opportunity to garner People's Choice votes.

Even if you're not interested in making a video, you might want to take a look at the site. Click on the "Video Gallery" tab to see the current videos. The tips are interesting, and free registration gives you the opportunity to vote for your favorites.